Easter is one of those holidays that's wrapped up in memories and food - and memories of food. Bakeries roll out special items, many of which are made only once a year.

Peter Sciortino's Bakery, 1101 E. Brady St., makes pupa cu l'ova, translating as doll with an egg. Co-owner Maria Vella said it's popular in Sicily, where her family is from.

Pupa cu l'ova are cookies in shapes such as bunny ears, baskets and chicks with a dyed, hard-boiled egg nestled on top and decorated with colored sprinkles.

"It's a meal and a dessert all put together," Vella said. The bakery sells hundreds of them in the week leading up to Easter.

Sciortino's also makes its Italian breads in shapes such as crosses, artichokes, wreaths and braids for the holiday.

The Gingerbread House, S63-W16147 College Ave. in Muskego, throughout the year includes items that reflect owner Tracy Bohrer's Polish and Italian heritage. For Easter, head baker Meghan Bailey said, lamb-shaped cakes and blessing bread, with a cross on the top of the loaf, appear in the case.

Decorated cutout cookies, bunny- and basket-shaped cakes and egg-shaped snack cakes are some of the other goodies this bakery, in a 19th-century farmhouse, makes for Easter.

National Bakery & Deli, at 3200 S. 16th St., 13820 W. Greenfield Ave. in Brookfield and 5637 Broad St. in Greendale, makes blessing bread in egg or rye as well as lamb cakes. It makes the yeasted cake babka and stollen, the sweet German bread that's usually made at Christmas.

Hot cross buns still have their loyal following during Lent at Regina's Bay Bakery, 423 E. Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay, said clerk Carrie Secklin. In addition to bunny-, lamb- and egg-shaped cakes and decorated cutout cookies, it also makes tri-colored angel food cake, in blue, pink and yellow.

About Carol Deptolla

Carol Deptolla is the Journal Sentinel dining critic. She also reports on restaurants, bars and other food- and drink-related businesses.